Love for Lelanie
In a small town, this beautiful lady affected many lives. There were people she knew from the insurance business, both with
So the news of Lelanie's passing on Tuesday afternoon spread like a grass fire.
Her fight with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer that produces fast-growing tumors, was known across the community. "Love for Lelanie" shirts dot the landscape of
Her fight with cancer began
But one thing is for certain -- when Lelanie became your friend, you were friends for life.
"Lelanie ... was one of the sweetest ladies I know," said
"I've always known her to put her daughters first," Jordan said. "She was a a great mother to her girls."
Even after they were no longer co-workers, the pair stayed friends. And when Lelanie became sick, it was obvious to Greta that she was going to fight as hard as she could -- for her family.
"She met Steve, fell in love, and it was like they both completed one another," she said. "Soulmates. Her fight, her will, her determination to live was for Steve, her children and grandchildren."
Jordan said Lelanie and her big heart had been there for others in a similar situation, and her faith in God through her entire ordeal was inspiring. Indeed, within minutes after the word of her passing hit Facebook, within minutes the comments numbered in the hundreds.
"It speaks volumes how many responses there are from people," Greta said. "And how many lives she has touched.
"I loved her. She was such a dear friend."
For over 20 years, Lelanie worked for
"She always intrigued me," Paula said. "I'd go in that office, and she'd be on the phone, working on the computer, putting someone on hold and handling paperwork for someone else ... She was the queen of multi-tasking."
Badie said that Lelanie took to insurance like a duck to water, she was just a natural. It was there Paula believes that Lelanie truly bloomed, and where so many came to count on her.
"Everyone wanted to talk to her," she said. "She always had a way with people that made them feel like they could tell her anything, confide in her ... People were naturally drawn to her, and she was beautiful inside and out."
Paula said during her time when her girls were playing sports, Lelanie ran off candy bars and softball -- that was her fuel. She was always dedicated to her children, and worked very hard to make sure they had everything they needed.
"She talked a lot about her grandmother, the late
"These last years have been hard on her, because she was so used to being the caregiver, not the recipient."
Though Lelanie had many, many friends, besides her beloved Steve, her closest friend was
"We were there with one another when we had our kids, and through other things too," Teresa said. "She hardly told anybody no -- she thought she was Wonder Woman, and she was."
The pair loved shopping, and Lelanie was always the driver.
"We may get lost and spin around in the parking lot a few times, but Lelanie will get us where we want to be," she said, laughing. "Christmas shopping, birthdays ... I told Steve he didn't know when he married Lelanie he was going to have two wives."
Tony, Teresa's husband, is who Lelanie called if she was at Home Depot and needed help picking up all her purchases. She called him in many instances, in fact.
"I told Steve, 'she doesn't mean anything by it. That's just what she's used to,'" Teresa said.
Every day, no matter where Lelanie worked, she called Teresa and talked to her until she arrived at work. Then when Teresa went to work for Lelanie at the agency, they would get off work at
"She was a fun girl. We laughed a lot together, even recently," Teresa said. "Everybody talks about going to
"When we got there, we couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about, or why people wanted to go there. Lelanie said, 'Well, check that one off our bucket list! And we both just laughed all the way home."
On one shopping excursion to Sam's, Teresa had just undergone a major surgery, but went shopping at Lelanie's insistence. They came across a lady giving out daily pill dispensers. Lelanie said, "Oh, my mother can use this." Teresa said the lady then looked at her and asked, "Is this your mother?"
"Can you believe that? She is older!" she said with indignation.
"She's kept us rolling up until the last day, with her silly, spunky attitude and smile," she said.
Since Tuesday, people have messaged Teresa, texted and called, and most tell her just how fortunate she is to have a friendship like theirs. Many people go their entire lives and never have a friend that close.
"I think it's pretty special," Teresa said. "I thank God every day for putting her in my life.
"I promised her I would look after Steve, and take care of her kids and grandkids. Not much will change, I was there when her kids had their kids."
Teresa said she has also never seen a brother more amazing than
"Steve is an awesome caretaker too," she said. "Could not have asked for better. I love both men for how they treated her."
Kenny was the one who made Lelanie laugh, and even when nobody else could get much reaction from her, if she saw Steve or heard his voice, she perked right up, Teresa said.
"There is nothing in this world I wouldn't have done for that woman," she said. "She means the world to me.
"I love her, and I know she loved me. She told me every day. I will remember those words for the rest of my life."
----------
___
(c)2017 the Corsicana Daily Sun (Corsicana, Texas)
Visit the Corsicana Daily Sun (Corsicana, Texas) at corsicanadailysun.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
U.S. Legal Support Named 2017’s Best Court Reporting and Deposition Services Provider, Best Document Management Solutions for Retrieved Records, Best Deposition Video Provider and Best End-to-End eDiscovery Provider
RMS Taps Earth Networks Real-Time and Historical Weather Observation Data for Hurricane Modeling
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News